Slow updates to syncspace

Mike Campbell

08 Jan, 2013 07:07 PM

I downloaded the free syncspace app on my ipad and iphone4. Both
devices are connected to the same wifi network. I am having
problems with the screens keeping in sync though.

I start a whiteboard and set it as shared. I can see it from the
other device in the "nearby" tab and connect to it. However, it is
very slow to make updates. For example, if I draw on one device it
may take 20-30 seconds to show up on the other if it shows up at
all. It I draw on the device that connected to the first I can't
recall ever seeing the updates on the first device. Is there
something I am missing? Does the sync require connection back to a
server somewhere that may be slowing me down?

As comparison I tried the app whiteboard from the app store and
updates to it are immediate across devices.

SyncSpace sharing works by relaying all connections through a
central server at syncsp.com. This lets people share with each
other no matter where they are. It also means that drawings can be
shared by people even if they are not online at the same time.

The server runs on an Amazon EC2 instance on the East coast of
the USA. Once the initial load is finished the connection should be
mostly snappy. Images may take a bit longer to upload/download on
each side, but the total delay on a good connection shouldn't be
more than a second or so. If you are running behind a strict
firewall with a proxy then that may be the cause of longer delays,
but that all depends upon the proxy.

It might be helpful to try opening the drawing link on a browser
(either on the iPad or a nearby desktop). If you open the drawing
link and select the "View in Browser" option and experience the
same delay with the same network configuration then it is likely
that the problem is in the network and/or a proxy.

The "nearby" local discovery is simply used to discover shared
drawings that are open on nearby devices. Once discovered, those
drawings are synced through the main server.

We will be releasing private SyncSpace servers that anyone will
be able to install on their own private networks. If you or your
company might be interested in such a service we could make a
preview version available.

That is disappointing to know. That was not how I understood the
description of the software to work. I assumed that if the 2
devices were on the same wifi network they would talk directly. It
would appear that syncspace is not what I am after as a personal
user. The use-case would be that my wife and son would use 2 iPads
for homeschooling purposes only and as such would be in the house
on the same wifi network. The delay in updates is not going to work
for us then. Thanks for the quick reply.